K!dnappers release 18 Benue v!ctims after N8m rans0m

Kidnappers release 18 Benue victims after N8m ransom

Eighteen residents of the Tyomu community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State have regained their freedom after spending six days in captivity.

The victims, including eight women from Tyomu, three persons from Vandeikya, and seven others from the Wurukum area of Makurdi, were abducted last Friday while travelling to Kogi State for a burial ceremony.

The abduction triggered a protest on Tuesday when angry residents, mostly women, blocked the Makurdi–Gboko highway to demand government action.

The abductors initially demanded a N30m ransom per person, but the amount was eventually negotiated down to N8m for all the hostages.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Solomon Iorpev, and the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Peter Aondongu, both confirmed the abduction and the subsequent protest, noting that the incident was initially not reported to the police.

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Iorpev accused the transport company conveying the victims of failing to notify security agencies about the incident.

“The position of the Commissioner of Police is that the company did not report the incident to the police. Ordinarily, if something like this happens, the company should immediately inform the relevant security agencies.

“It was the protest by the affected people that eventually brought the matter to the attention of the Commissioner of Police,” Iorpev said.

Sources in the community said the victims were released on Thursday night in a forest along the Ogobia–Onyagede Road, near the Benue–Kogi boundary, after the community paid N8m and provided foodstuff and groceries valued at over N500,000.

A resident, identified as Igidi, whose wife was among the victims, reportedly picked up the abductees from the forest.

“We are grateful that they have finally returned alive. They were taken into the bush and went through a very difficult experience. Some of them need medical attention and psychological support,” a resident who pleaded anonymity said.

One of the victims, Linda Ingyough, described their experience in captivity as traumatising.

“It was so traumatising. We thought we were going to die of hunger as we were given dry garri to munch once a day and a four-litre jerrycan of muddy water to share. Thank God we survived even after six days in captivity, enduring merciless flogging from the bandits. Now we are back home,” she said.

When contacted on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Peter Aondongu, confirmed the release of the victims, adding that the community handled the situation independently.

“I can confirm from the report we have from the community that the people have been released. The community handled the issue on their own, so I cannot say if ransom was paid or not,” the PPRO said.